Jason Kelce weighs in as Ravens' illegal formations vs. Chiefs sparks debate

As NFL fans may know, Jason Kelce served as an offensive lineman for well over a decade for the Philadelphia Eagles. As such, if anyone's two cents should be taken at face value, he is as good of a source as any. In the Week 1 season opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, Lamar Jackson's team was subjected to multiple flags and penalties.

Baltimore went on to lose 27-20. Fans wanted an explanation, so Kelce gave them one on X.

"The tackle jumping the count thing is never gonna stop man. ... Usually if it’s close on jumping the snap for offense or defense the officials tend to let it go," he wrote in a post on Friday.

"Certainly get the frustration people have that Ronnie got called for a lot of frivolous stuff early, and the Chiefs didn’t. It’s one of the reasons I’m not a fan of the points of emphasis that these refs have to start seasons. It often leads to officials looking to make calls, and a lot of borderline or bad calls end up happening as a result."

In football, offensive tackles are required to wait for the snap. They are also required to line up so they are effectively half a step less parallel than the guard. However, they also cannot be lined up too far back. Repeatedly throughout Thursday's game, the Ravens' offensive line was flagged for false starts and illegal formations, making things tougher for the team to pull through.

Many believe the illegal formations were one of the key factors leading to the Chiefs' victory.

Ravens offensive line struggles in wake of offensive line coach's death

Those who watched the game can attest that they witnessed a struggle by the Ravens' offensive line. Especially on passing downs, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson was left to scramble on more than a few plays, including the penultimate missed throw that would have been a wide-open touchdown.

Many are blaming the players or the officials for the difficult performance. However, another factor to consider is the team's recent brush with death. Offensive line coach Joe D'Alessandris died in August, leaving the team to find an offensive line coach out of the typical hiring window.

According to a Baltimore Ravens statement via CNN, they settled on George Warhop, who was tasked with getting either himself up to speed on the offensive line or to get the offensive line up to speed on his system.

Based on the performance put on display against the Kansas City Chiefs, it appears that Warhop may have been the one forcing his players to learn his blocking system with constant pressure on Jackson on passing plays.

With more time to practice as the season goes on, will Lamar Jackson's offensive line see an improvement?